It might be easier if i start with what i am looking for:
I was looking to join as an officer but have found out i am too old (26) for all apart from Logistics which i don't think i would enjoy so i've decided to look at joining as a rating. I'm looking for something mentally engaging, with good promotion prospects, that also gives me the opportunity to travel as much as possible.

I've just been for my first talk at the AFCO and went there thinking i had narrowed it down to three trades: AET, Warfare and Meteorologist.

The woman was really helpful and together we ruled out Warfare specialist but she also threw Air Traffic Control into the mix. Now i am completely torn between the three.

AET because it looks enjoyable and i'm under the impression the is the possibility of becoming a pilot or someone else who flies? I think there is also a fair amount of travelling but maybe not that much?

Meteorologist appeals to the scientist in me (i did a year of Maths an Physics at university) and may give me the chance to travel extensively including Antarctica! I also like the type of jobs it could lead to if i decide to get a civilian job (marine biology, environmental type jobs). Nobody seems to know much about this option!!

Air Traffic Controller I think would also be challenging and interesting. I'm not too sure if there would be enough travelling though. A big plus with this option is i would go straight in as leading.

I am not sure what the promotion opportunities are like for any of the options the AFCO said they are all pretty much the same in that sense but maybe someone knows differently?

Any advice anyone has that may help me at least lean one way or the other would be great!

At 26 YO I think you'll find you are too old for any aircrew role. As you found 26 is the max age for officer so that will rule out Pilot and Observer. 26 is also the max age for branch transferring to Aircrewman, you have to have qualified for Leading Rate to transfer.

AET can be enjoyable.

Meteorology too if you have a bent for Above water and under water weather, (As I like to call Oceanography).

Go back to uni and do the 2 years you missed, taking you to 28 years old. This will open up the E(TM) officer role for you.

Re-apply for uni to do engineering. This will take you up 29 (although you might be able to do a credit transfer with the uni to finished quicker).

This will open up all the engineering routes except E(IS), but you could always go and do a computing degree

I don't know if the RN do sponsorship for people your (also my) age, but it'd be worth looking into because it'd mean you wouldn't have to do the application process after you had graduated.

What ever you choose, good luck!

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I did think seriously about going back to uni to open up those options but decided i didnt really want to go back to the uni life. Apart from being a skint student again, it would feel like a step backwards. I'm sure others would feel quite differently to me in my situation, but joining the navy feels like a more positive step for me.

At 26 YO I think you'll find you are too old for any aircrew role. As you found 26 is the max age for officer so that will rule out Pilot and Observer. 26 is also the max age for branch transferring to Aircrewman, you have to have qualified for Leading Rate to transfer.

AET can be enjoyable.

Meteorology too if you have a bent for Above water and under water weather, (As I like to call Oceanography).

Cannot comment on your other choice as I have no experience.

Good luck on your future.

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Thanks Waspie.

Sounds like any flying job is out then

AET does seem enjoyable. Any idea on what the prospects are for promotion? Are there any commisioned roles it could lead to?

Do you know much about the Hydro.. Meteor.. Ocean.. (is there an abbreviation?) Do any of them post on here? I'm finding it hard to find much info about it. I read somewhere that most of the travelling they do doesn't involve stopping in many ports. Any ideas where they might travel to or their promotion prospects.

Don't mean to sound obsessed with promotion! Just trying to get as much info as possible.

I suppose i'd just like to know about the amount of travelling - the more the better. But i read somewhere on here that the type of ships i'll be on rarely stop at ports? The AFCO said that they do some travelling around the UK monitoring fisheries. Is that one of their main roles or do they spend more time further afield?

It seems to be quite a specialist field so i was wondering what kind of route i may take as i progress?

Sorry for all the questions. I just want to make as informed a choice as possible.

AET because it looks enjoyable and i'm under the impression the is the possibility of becoming a pilot or someone else who flies? I think there is also a fair amount of travelling but maybe not that much?

Meteorologist appeals to the scientist in me (i did a year of Maths an Physics at university) and may give me the chance to travel extensively including Antarctica! I also like the type of jobs it could lead to if i decide to get a civilian job (marine biology, environmental type jobs). Nobody seems to know much about this option!!

Air Traffic Controller I think would also be challenging and interesting. I'm not too sure if there would be enough travelling though. A big plus with this option is i would go straight in as leading.

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Hello Grizzly, hopefully I can clear up a couple of misconceptions you seem to have picked up along the way.

As an AET joining up at 26 you're never going to be commissioned aircrew, sounds harsh but that's just the way it is, by the time you're rated AB1 you'll be knocking on 28 at least. AET isn't one of the big traveling trades either, there are trips to be had, but if you want to see the world ASAP pick a general service trade.

WS(HM) will probably not appeal to the scientist in you too much for a long old while, as an AB WS(HM) your main role will be to perform weather observations and log information, you won't be Michael Fish any time soon.

And now for my specialist subject...
As a NA(AC) (or Aircraft Controller, not Air Traffic Controller, which is a different job) you'll have plenty of opportunity to travel, every ship with a flight embarked needs a controller and the RN is hugely short of ACs at all rates presently, you're guaranteed sea jobs.

However, you will not go straight in as a Leading Aircraft Controller, this has never been the case and never will be. You're looking at 2.5 years ish to get promoted as an AC (still much quicker than any of the other trades you've mentioned).

After completing phase one and 2 training you'll have to spend 1 year at a typed air station (RNAS Culdrose or RNAS Yeovilton) as an Air Traffic Assistant then you'll go to the RNSAC (RN School of Aircraft Control) to take a short non-tactical control course and you'll be drafted to a ship's company for a year as an AB. On completion of your year as ship's company you'll be sent back to Yeovilton to take the Leading AC's course, on completion of the course (it lasts 7 months presently, though may be shortened marginally) you'll be promoted to Leading Hand.

Hope that's cleared a few bits up for you, good luck with your application.

AET because it looks enjoyable and i'm under the impression the is the possibility of becoming a pilot or someone else who flies? I think there is also a fair amount of travelling but maybe not that much?

Meteorologist appeals to the scientist in me (i did a year of Maths an Physics at university) and may give me the chance to travel extensively including Antarctica! I also like the type of jobs it could lead to if i decide to get a civilian job (marine biology, environmental type jobs). Nobody seems to know much about this option!!

Air Traffic Controller I think would also be challenging and interesting. I'm not too sure if there would be enough travelling though. A big plus with this option is i would go straight in as leading.

Click to expand...

Hello Grizzly, hopefully I can clear up a couple of misconceptions you seem to have picked up along the way.

As an AET joining up at 26 you're never going to be commissioned aircrew, sounds harsh but that's just the way it is, by the time you're rated AB1 you'll be knocking on 28 at least. AET isn't one of the big traveling trades either, there are trips to be had, but if you want to see the world ASAP pick a general service trade.

WS(HM) will probably not appeal to the scientist in you too much for a long old while, as an AB WS(HM) your main role will be to perform weather observations and log information, you won't be Michael Fish any time soon.

And now for my specialist subject...
As a NA(AC) (or Aircraft Controller, not Air Traffic Controller, which is a different job) you'll have plenty of opportunity to travel, every ship with a flight embarked needs a controller and the RN is hugely short of ACs at all rates presently, you're guaranteed sea jobs.

However, you will not go straight in as a Leading Aircraft Controller, this has never been the case and never will be. You're looking at 2.5 years ish to get promoted as an AC (still much quicker than any of the other trades you've mentioned).

After completing phase one and 2 training you'll have to spend 1 year at a typed air station (RNAS Culdrose or RNAS Yeovilton) as an Air Traffic Assistant then you'll go to the RNSAC (RN School of Aircraft Control) to take a short non-tactical control course and you'll be drafted to a ship's company for a year as an AB. On completion of your year as ship's company you'll be sent back to Yeovilton to take the Leading AC's course, on completion of the course (it lasts 7 months presently, though may be shortened marginally) you'll be promoted to Leading Hand.

Hope that's cleared a few bits up for you, good luck with your application.

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Thanks for all that. Really helpful!

Kinda leaning away from AET now.

With AB WS(HM), i don't really mind being the dogsbody for a while if i have something more interesting to look forward to.

NA (AC) sounds really promising. Could you tell me anything about the job. There isn't anything on the website about it and when the AFCO told me about it she gave me the booklet for Air Traffic Control Officer and said it was similar but more junior. Is this correct?

She seemed quite sure about me going in as leading are you sure this is not the case?

The info on the RN website at the moment seems to be based upon the experiences of a seagoing LAC, it's a little different as an AB but I enjoy it and I'm a grumpy fcuker who's never satisfied with anything, so it can't be that bad.

The info on the RN website at the moment seems to be based upon the experiences of a seagoing LAC, it's a little different as an AB but I enjoy it and I'm a grumpy fcuker who's never satisfied with anything, so it can't be that bad.